Long before the cinematic popularity of Downton Abbey or the Jane Austen craze, the ruthless inner world of the British landed gentry became the setting for Italian opera. With his 1835 setting of Walter Scott's successful novel The Bride of Lammermoor, Gaetano Donizetti created a lyrical drama that remains the epitome of Italian Romanticism. Set in Scotland around 1700, the tragedy is also the most famous example of the transformation of the virtuosic bel canto style into a highly expressive stylisation of extreme emotional states and contains what is arguably the most famous scene of madness in Italian opera. Filippo Sanjust’s production, with its painted scenery and spotlights, evokes the atmosphere of an operatic evening from the work’s original era. Michele Spotti, Principal Guest Conductor of Deutsche Oper Berlin, conducts the company’s ensembles for the first time in his new role. As Lucia we encounter the virtuoso Nina Minasyan, and one of the most brilliant bel canto tenors, Xabier Anduaga, returns to our stage as Edgardo.

Lucia di Lammermoor

Deutsche Oper Berlin

With La forza del destino, Verdi broke new ground in the 1860s. The title itself refers to this paradigm shift, as it does not refer to the name of a character or a historical event, but rather evokes the universal concept of the «power of fate». Accordingly, the composer wrote a four-act opera that is a drama of ideas, dealing with the fate of entire social classes and peoples. Building on this, director Frank Castorf creates connections to the Spanish Civil War of the 20th century and the fight against fascism in the Second World War, weaving the individual fates of the characters with the horrors of colonial history. In this production by the veteran enfant terrible of the Berlin theatre scene, the «triangle of fate» is embodied this time by an internationally sought-after trio consisting of Guanqun Yu (Leonora) and the two house debutants Luciano Ganci (Don Alvaro) and Igor Golovatenko (Don Carlos). Massimo Zannetti, a frequent guest at the Berlin State Opera in the past, makes his debut at the Deutsche Oper with this revival.

La forza del destino

Sounds like those Richard Strauss unleashed in Elektra with a gigantic orchestra were unprecedented until the opera’s premiere in 1909. And the radicalism and expressive ferocity of Elektra have lost none of their power to this day. The archaic subject matter both terrifies and fascinates: Elektra, an infinitely lonely young woman, is kept alive solely by the thought of avenging her mother’s murder of her father, Agamemnon. When her father is avenged and her brother Orestes has killed their mother and her lover, Elektra dances an ecstatic dance, at the climax of which she collapses dead. This is a roller coaster of an opera. Ricarda Merbeth, one of the most important Wagner and Strauss interpreters of our time, takes on the title role, while the charismatic Okka von der Damerau makes her debut as Clytemnestra. The Slovak conductor Juraj Valčuha, for years one of the most influential guest conductors at Deutsche Oper Berlin, conducts the monumental work.

Elektra

With Hänsel und Gretel, Engelbert Humperdinck created a fairy-tale opera that has captivated children and families for over 100 years, not just during the Advent season. The enduring success of the work is due, in part, to the exciting story of two children who get lost in a dark forest and are threatened by an evil witch, whom they ultimately defeat through cunning and trickery. The combination of simple, catchy folk melodies like «Ein Männlein steht im Walde» («A Little Man Stands in the Forest») with lavishly orchestrated sound and powerful operatic voices remains highly appealing to audiences of all ages. Andreas Homoki’s production tells the story straightforwardly in poetic imagery, without neglecting either theatrically effective spooky effects or comedic moments. Our young and dynamic conductor, Anna Handler, leads the performance with her vibrant musical energy.

Hansel and Gretel

Isolation and loneliness have become part of our collective experience, especially since the coronavirus pandemic. Violetta, the young courtesan, suffers them on her deathbed, forced by societal demand to reject her lover. Verdi’s only opera set in the bourgeois world of his time demonstrates the hypocrisy of a society that first fawns over a young woman and then abandons her. Götz Friedrich’s production amplifies the emotional impact of Verdi’s music by telling Violetta’s story as a flashback: The premonition of death is present from the beginning, hanging like a shadow over the Parisian party. Thus, a timeless drama with a requiem-like quality unfolds. We eagerly anticipate the Violetta debut of Federica Lombardi, a favourite with audiences at Deutsche Oper Berlin. She will later be succeeded by Martina Russomanno, new in our ensemble. Michele Spotti, the new Principal Guest Conductor, promises a sophisticated musical interpretation.

La traviata

Oscar Wilde’s drama about the biblical princess who has the prophet Jochanaan beheaded so she can kiss his dead mouth unfolds a tableau of human depravity: From murder and necrophilia to sexualised violence, one shocking moment follows another. But it was not only these themes that made Strauss’s Salome a scandal, but also its radically modern, overwhelming music, which was far ahead of its time. The «Faust» Prize winner Claus Guth incorporates insights from psychoanalysis, which emerged around the time of the 1905 premiere, into his production and delves into Salome’s subconscious: Younger versions of her Self accompany Salome like shadows of past wounds, together struggling to cope with childhood traumas. In a stage design that maintains the illusion of a flawless facade, reality, dream and memory begin to blur – the path from victim to perpetrator seems inevitable. Marc Albrecht conducts, and Elisabeth Strid will be performing Barrie Kosky’s new London Brünnhilde as Salome for the first time.

Salome

The surprise hit of Deutsche Oper Berlin for the past few seasons: Completed almost ten years before the Second World War, the only opera by Danish composer Rued Langgaard oracularly foreshadows an approaching apocalypse. Antikrist is a unique work in music history, in which powerful sounds kaleidoscopically intertwine with an enigmatic language. Only staged in 1999, almost 50 years after its creator's death, the work is an absolute rarity on international operatic stages. Ersan Mondtag's production brings Antikrist to the stage in unprecedented splendour. The director and exceptional interdisciplinary artist has received numerous awards for his monumental works and his impressive creative power; in this production, he has horrific figures appear amidst pop-cultural references and dance an infernal choreography around them. Langgaard's apocalyptic mystery is thus brought to life as an expressionistic moving image. With Martyn Brabbins, one of the most interesting conductors of 20th-century music returns to Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Michael J. Scott

Events

Upcoming events

5 - 18 Sep, 2026

Lucia di Lammermoor · Deutsche Oper Berlin

3 - 18 Oct, 2026

La forza del destino · Deutsche Oper Berlin

6 - 17 Nov, 2026

Elektra · Deutsche Oper Berlin

Dec 23, 2026 - Jan 9, 2027

Hansel and Gretel · Deutsche Oper Berlin

Dec 26, 2026 - Jun 20, 2027

La traviata · Deutsche Oper Berlin

Future and recently performed repertoire

Gaston in La traviata by Verdi

Deutsche Oper Berlin

The Witch in Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Mastro Trabuco in La forza del destino by Verdi

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti

Deutsche Oper Berlin

First Jew in Salome by Strauss

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Aegistheus in Elektra by Strauss

Deutsche Oper Berlin

The Mouth speaking Great Words in Antikrist by Langgaard

Deutsche Oper Berlin

About

Michael J. Scott hasn't added a bio